Vale was true to his word. He did not share any particulars of the prophecy with the Queen or Graves’s siblings. He made known their plight for refuge in this tumultuous time—and their search for Tharen’s predecessor, the prior Prima Emarelia.
The Queen granted refuge with watery eyes as she stared at her son, and Vale felt relief flood him, threatening to make him stumble from the sheer force of it. He could keep them safe. Luella… and her Vincire. But there was one last thing that gripped him. An angel, in the presence of the Fallen. Luella’s wings could not be hidden.
Already, he had seen the curious looks that the Fallen warriors had thrown her, with her cloak wrapped around her in the humid heat. She could not hide forever. But Vale must ensure her safety. The Fallen had a strained relationship with the angels, but Luella knew none of this. He wished to keep it this way. For her.
Again and again, the Queen surprised him.
Vale did not even have to speak before she strode forward, clasping his hands in hers, her dark wings shivering behind her and reminding Vale so much of Luella that his dragon perked his head up, desperate to go to her. Vale kept him down with a warning and a promise.Soon.
Queen Samil made a promise of her own to Vale. "Princess Luella will have refuge here as an angel. I will make a decree at the celebration. No one is to touch her. I promise you, Vale. She will be safe here. You all will."
She said his name without title. The Queen had known Vale long before he had been King of Serpentis. As a youngling with Graves, swimming in the coral reefs, and running off on adventures for escape—long before they had met the others.
Safe. It seemed a foreign notion to him now. Vale offered his own vow to the Queen and the Damaris siblings. "This is for a greater purpose than you all realize. We will keep you safe. The darkness has had its time."
Already, Vale said too much, but it was enough for them all, he hoped.
Here on the Fallen Isles, with nowhere else to go. His castle had been turned to ruins by Luella’s untrained magic, and the Tenebrae was on the hunt. He could feel it. They all felt it, an invisible noose tightening around their necks.
The King of Serpentis wondered just how much longer they would have to breathe before the noose cut off all their air.
34
SOMETHING STOLEN, GIVEN
LUELLA
When Luella awoke, she was nude.
A pleasant sigh fell from her lips as she stretched, her toes pointing under sea-scented sheets. The action made her thighs rub together, and she felt tingles shoot up from her core all the way out to the very tips of her curled toes.
Luella lazily blinked open her eyes.
The first thing she saw was white and blue.
Shifting shadows on the walls took the shape of ripples. The tranquil sound of lapping water and crashing waves made her fight against sleep; it was so peaceful.
She turned her head on the pillow, cheek brushing the softness, only to see the curtains billowing inward from the breeze, harsh gusts that brought in the smell of salted air, filling the room with its undeniable presence.
Her hand fell to the plush bedding by her side, finding it cool and empty—she was alone.
Where had Az gone? Had he left her for long?
Something about that made her heart clench. Especially after what they had…donetogether.
She could barely think of it without blushing. His mouth had touched her in places she had no idea were even possible, and with him, it had felt so right.
But now, she was alone. And naked.
Luella sat up, tugging the bottom sheet with her—a thin white blanket that was woven with supple threads, like silk, over her skin. The curtains that led out of the room were pulled close, but the faint murmur of voices on the other side let her know she was not entirely alone here.
Good. For some reason, this hazy space of white and blue and shifting shadows felt like a dream. Her hand absently touched the amulet around her neck as she stared at the curtains.
She released a soft sigh and stood, wrapping the sheet around her, the ends pooling to the floor. She didn’t know where her clothes were…
Luella swallowed, feeling how dry her mouth was. She was thirsty and a bit hungry; though, not terribly so. She had the faintest recollection of Az waking her up after she had dozed for a bit, pressing grapes with soft flesh that had popped under her teeth, against her lips, chasing it with sweet water.
She stared at the white floor, then toward the curtains.
